Disposable ash receiver



Jan- 2, 1957 D. SILVERMAN EFAL- 2,778,365

DISPOSABLE ASH RECEIVER Filed June 26, 1950 IN V EN TORS DISPOSABLE ASH RECEKVER Daniel Silverman and Arnold H. Ungerinan, Tulsa, (Skin.

Application June 26, 1950, Serial No. 170,388

4 Claims. (Cl. 131-235) This invention relates to ash receivers and particularly to disposable, single-use containers that are always available for use, are inexpensive and fireproof, and can be easily disposed of after use.

With the widespread use of cigarettes, large numbers of ash trays or other types of ash receivers are required to provide for the disposal of ash and stubs without the attendant mess or risk of fire that is present when they are not used. Under normal conditions, provision can be made for each individual smoker to have access to an ash container. However, at other times, particularly at large social gatherings, cocktail parties, and the like, this is not possible. Also, at conventions or other large gatherings held in hotel and convention halls, there is general- 1y little or no provision made for smokers to dispose of their ashes and cigarette stubs except to throw them onto the fioor, with resultant possibility of damage to furnishings. This invention is directed toward the alleviation of this condition.

This invention is concerned with disposable ash receivers constructed of deformable, flame-resistant, heat-conducting, non-combustible sheet material, impervious to tobacco smoke and odor, such as fibrous sheet, metal foil, foilcovered fibrous sheet or plastic film, or the like. The sheet material should be thin enough to be easily shaped, crimped, molded and/ or formed by hand. Yet it should be stilf enough to hold its shape reasonably well once formed, in order to be handled in normal usage.

Previous attempts to provide cheap disposable ash trays of light fibrous material were directed toward horizontally disposed shallow trays, or structures with wide bases, suitable for placement on horizontal surfaces. Such ash trays lacked important features of the more conventional heavy glass or metal ash trays, namely, in their stability, and in their ability to resist movement along the surface upon which they are placed. These disposable ash trays were generally light enough to be disturbed by accidental contact or gusts of wind and were easily overturned or moved off the surface. It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a cheap disposable ash receiver that can be removably affixed in an ash-retaining position to a surface so that it will maintain its ash-retaining position and resist movement in spite of the forces incident to use and to extraneous contacts. It is a further object of this invention to provide a vertically disposed cup or pocket-shaped container that may be hung from, or pendulously suspended from, vertical surface, such as the surfaces of furniture, doors, walls or Windows, or the vertical edges of tables, chair seats, and the like. It is another object of this invention to provide a collapsible metallic foil or foil-covered container that will extinguish a lighted cigarette stub when dropped into it. It is a further object to provide a disposable receiver for ashes and lighted stubs of cigarettes and the like, in which a portion of the inside surface of the container is covered with a decomposable material, such as will be decomposed by the heat of the container as shown in Fig. 1.

it is placed in the container.

2,778,365 Patented Jan. 22, 1957 of the lighted stub and will evolve an inert gas to smother combustion and so snuif out the stub.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of this invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which the same numbers denote the same or similar parts in each of the figures:

Figure 1 is a side view of one embodiment of this invention, taken in section along the line 11 of Figure 2;

Figure 2is a front elevational view of the same embodiment, taken at right angles to the view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a template for sheet material suitable for the construction of the embodiment shown in Figure 2.

Thus, when the flat pocket is opened by spreading the walls of the cup, a tapering wedge-shaped volume is formed. The flat cup forms an essentially cylindrical volume when opened, which volume is generally several times greater in vertical dimension than in its narrowest horizontal dimension. The snufiing action of these containers is facilitated the greater the vertical dimension with respect to the smaller horizontal dimension. Ratios of three or four or more are desirable from the point of view of snufiing action of the receivers.

In our preferred embodiment, the container is adapted to be temporarily supported by or alfixed to an inclined surface, so that it hangs pendulously in such a manner that it is not easily disturbed or overturned by forces incidental to its use. The preferred means of fastening is by means of a non-drying adhesive that is always ready for use and does not mar the surface, whether it be a hard smooth surface or a fabric surface. Nor does it leave a residue or deposit on the surface.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the container, generally indicated as 20, comprises a back portion or wall 21 and a front portion or wall 22 formed by a fold along the line 25. Two wing portions 23 and 24 are folded along the lines 26 and 27,'respectively, to form a collapsible cuplike container. The wings 23 and 24 may be cemented or otherwise fastened in the position shown in Fig. 2 to form a leakproof pouch or pocket. In order to attach the container to any suitable surface, a non-drying pressure-sensitive adhesive 51 is applied to one face of the back A breaker strip or tape 48 having a roughened surface 99 provides the means whereby the adhesive may be applied so as to cover the apertures 47 for a purpose to be described.

In use, the exposed adhesive is pressed against any convenient surface by applying pressure so that the portion of the adhesive exposed by the openings 47 may contact saidsurface. The front 22 is separated from the front wall '21 as shown bythe dotted outline 22' in Figure l, and the container is then open and ready for use.

A convenient shape of container is one in which the bottom may be narrowed to form a trapezoidal shape. A convenient size is one in which the width at the top is approximately the same as the height and both are about 3 inches, and the bottom width is approximately 1.5 inches. Another convenient size is one which provides a'width of approximately 3 inches and height of 5 inches or more. It'is desirable to have the back Wall 21 extend above the top of the front wall 22 to serve as a convenient place 59 to-fasten thecontainer, to serve as a "rubbing out spot for extinguishing the stubs and/or for folding over to close the container.

As the receiver is used, ash accumulates in the bottom portion. When the stub of the cigarette is disposed of, When the receiver is to be discarded, the" top portion 59 of the back 21 may be folded over and/orthe edges of the container may be rolled," twisted,"-or-crimped by hand'to seal'the, interior of the container against the entry of air, to prevent the egress of tobacco smoke and odor, and. to prevent the spilling of ash.

One important part of this device is the sheet material from which it is formed, for which we prefer to use metal foil. In this application, metal foil provides four important properties. They are as follows: (1) its high heat conductivity; (2) its flame-proof and non-combustible nature; (3) its property of being easily formed, bent, or shaped into different configurations by light pressure such as can be conveniently provided in the hand; (4) its property of retaining any shape into which it is formed.

When the ash receiver has been attached to a vertical surface and the cup hangs pendulouslyfrom a location near the top of the back wall 21, a cigarette can be snuffed by rubbing or pressing its lighted end against the roughened face 49 of the breaker strip or tape 48 attached to the upper part 59 of the back wall. In doing so, the hot particles are dropped into the receiver and are there retained, cooled, and extinguished. The extinguished stub may then be dropped into the receiver. It has been found that only a small area of adhesive is necessaryto accomplish the purpose of supporting the ash receiver in a pendant position. The area may be approximately 0.5 inch by 0.5 inch, or less, depending upon the quality of the adhesive.

One way in which a layer of non-drying pressuresensitive adhesive may be operatively exposed on the exterior of the back wall 21 of the receiver is shown in the drawing. A strip of gummed tape 48 is prepared with one surface 49 crinkled or corrugated so as to act as a breaker strip and as a rubbing out surface, and the other surface 50 is coated with non-drying adhesive 51. The adhesive-coated surface 50 is pressed against the surface of the back wall 21 to be exposed so that the strip covers the apertures in the upper portion of the back wall. The adhesive 51 is thus exposed to the exterior of the container through the apertures. At the same time, the front face of the receiver is provided with a rubbing out surface 49 in the a position so that when the surface 49 is used as a rubbing out spot, the pressure is applied to the portion of the surface which is coated with adhesive and in contact with the supporting surface. The pressure of rubbing out the cigarette serves to tighten the bond between the adhesive and the supporting surface. Also, the pressure is applied above the open top of the receiver, thus avoiding possible spilling of ash.

In order to hasten the snuffing action of these constainers, it is advantageous to coat a portion of the inner surface of the container before it is formed, with a chemical substance of such character that it will decompose under the heat of the lighted cigarette stub in contact with it and give off a gas that will not support cornbustion. In this way, the burning mass is enveloped in inert gas, the supply of air is cut off, and the stub is snuffed out. Chemicals of the carbonate class, such as ammonium carbonate, are especially useful, since one of the gases evolved is carbon dioxide, which, because of its high density, is efiective in snufiing the combustion. The chemical may be applied by attaching small granules to the surface by adhesive, or by painting the sheet with a solution of the substance in a vaporizable solvent, or by any other means known in the art. Any suitable decomposible, combustion-terminating gas generating solid may be used in this application.

One specific template that may be used for constructing the container shown in Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated in Figure 3. Two main back and front portions 21 and 22 are adapted to be folded on each other along line 25 as previously stated. These areas are generally trapezoidal in shape. The upper portion 59 of 21 is used for supporting the container and/or for sealing the top opening. Two portions 23 and 24 are arranged for folding along lines 26 and 27, respectively. They are provided with adhesive means and are adapted to seal the two sides of the container. Thus, three folds along lines 25, 26, and 27 serve to attach the front portion 22 to the rear portion 21 and form a top-opening, flat, cup-shaped container. It will be obvious that the two portions 21 and 22 can be prepared separately and then fastened together along the three edges 25, 26, and 27.

Since changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention may be made Without departing from the principles thereof, it is intended that all the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A disposable ash receiver comprising a vertically disposed top opening container composed of heat resistant sheet material, one wall of said container forming an extension projecting upwardly above said opening, said extension having at least one aperture therethrough, a strip of heat resistant sheet material covering said aperture, a first surface of said strip being roughened to form a cigarette crunching surface, the second surface of said strip carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive, said second surface of said strip being applied to one surface of said extension, whereby said adhesive is exposed through said aperture to the opposite of said extension, and when said exposed adhesive is applied to a supporting surface said container hangs pendulously from the location of attachment by said adhesive, said crunching surface is exposed for extinguishing cigarettes, and the pressure of such crunching serves to increase the attachment of said extension to said supporting surface.

2. A disposable ash receiver as in claim 1 in which said opening of said container is disposed directly below said crunching surface, whereby hot ash broken away as the result of the crunching of a cigarette will fall into said container and be cooled and extinguished.

3. A disposable ash receiver adapted to be removably attached to a supporting surface comprising, a top opening receptacle of heat resistant sheet material, one wall of said receptacle having an extension projecting upwardly beyond said open top, pressure sensitive adhesive carried by breaker strip means and operatively exposed over a portion of one surface of said extension through an aperture therein, the opposite surface of said breaker strip means being roughened to form a crunching surface for extinguishing cigarettes, whereby when said exposed adhesive is pressed against a supporting surface, pressure of a cigarette against said crunching surface serves to increase the attachment of said extension to said sup porting surface.

4. The ash receiver of claim 3 wherein at least a portion of the inner surface of said receptacle is covered with a material decomposable at moderate temperatures to liberate a combustion-terminating gas.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,030,909 Mesturino July 2, 1912 1,238,914 Hilliard Sept. 4, 1917 1,325,769 Welch Dec. 23, 1919 1,806,781 Brach May 26, 1931 1,816,049 Larner July 28, 1931 2,006,811 Mersbach July 2, 1935 2,071,394 Douglas Feb. 23, 1937 2,071,981 Landsiedel Feb. 23, 1937 2,073,498 Seez Mar. 9, 1937 2,117,432 Linscott May 17, 1938 2,122,999 Burke July 5, 1938 2,132,230 Copeman Oct. 4, 1938 2,153,310 Newman Apr. 4, 1939 2,167,261 Sadtler July 25, 1939 (Other references on following page) 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Lane Aug. 22, 1939 Bench Nov. 7, 1939 Roehrl Jan. 30, 1940 Van Cleef July 8, 1941 Runner Feb. 10, 1942 6 McManus et a1. July 6, 1943 Wilbur Jan. 11, 1944 Dement May 23, 1944 Pelle June 22, 1948 Madan May 9, 1950 Putt Apr. 28, 1953 

